In Between: A Guide to Stepping up from Affordable/Fast Fashion Without Going Broke
“Level Up To Improve, Not To Impress”
Hi There Stylish Friends,
This post is about something I noticed many people struggle on: leveling up their style. When thinking more about fashion you usually start off with fast fashion brands before going to the luxury brands, but nobody every talks about the situation in between.
Luxury Brands Are Too Expensive
The problem with luxury brands is usually the price. It’s like starting off with a second hand Toyota Corolla and when you want to step up, the only option is a Ferrari or Lambo. it’s just not realistic, and that is fine. Same goes for fashion, I have been trying to level up but getting a 100.000 ($1.000,-) sweater instead of a 5000 ($500,-) sweater seemed ridiculous. So I went looking for brands that were a step up from fast fashion, but don’t bankrupt me.
What do I consider the next level?
Personally the (rough) line for me is over 10.000 ($100) but under 50.000 ($500). I do have pieces that are over that, but they don’t dominate my wardrobe. A lot of expensive brands are just about big brand names on the pieces, so it’s not always the rule that more expensive = better
Here are some brands that I found and like here in Tokyo.
United Arrows Green Label
Their basic white dress shirts are amazing. I bought a few and the quality is very good. The suit companies offer shirts but their quality/look is not great and a world of difference from Green Label shirts. Investing in a good white Dress shirt is something every man should do. They never run out of style so don’t feel bad on spending a bit extra on these sort of items.
Website: https://store.united-arrows.co.jp/brand/glr/?wovn=en
Availability: Shops & Online
Ralph Lauren
One of those brands I was doubting to put on my list, because they go overboard with their (polo) branding on a regular basis. But a brand like this fits me well for several reasons: The actual size (sometimes Japanese brand sizes are a bit weird (read: small), the subtle branded items look great and people see the quality/difference compared to fast fashion. It’s a bit preppy sometimes, which is fine when you’re that kind of guy, but their pieces can be easily matched with other styles.
The suits are a bit pricy, so when you shop there, I recommend the sweaters and shirts. Go for the small Polo logo’s, the big ones are just… no..
Website: https://www.ralphlauren.co.jp/
Availability: Shops & Online
Nano Universe
A Japanese brand that has been around for around 20 years. They have clothes for both Men and Women but their Men’s collection is a bit more sophisticated, which is a rare find in Japan. (ladies have so many more options!) they sell all kinds of items like Tops, Outerwear, Pants, Shoes, Bags, Wallets, Accessories, Watches, and my favorite: Suits.
I can really recommend the business casual wear and accessories from these guys. The quality is good and you can tell they’re good quality without big brands all over the place.
I wrote some more about these guys in my other post
Website: https://store.nanouniverse.jp/jp/
Availability: Shops & Online
Black Label Crestbridge
A bit more flashy than Nano Universe, but a lot of pieces are very stylish. Black Label Crestbridge is an “offspring” of Burberry and you can clearly tell this from their designs. I personally don’t like too much of the classic Burberry pattern in my clothes, so I try to look for items that use them as accents rather than main design features.
They split up their brand in 3 parts:
Blue Label for Women
Black Label for Men
Crestbridge: For both
Website: https://www.crestbridge.jp/
Availability: Shops & Online
About shopping in Japan in general
There are a couple of things I noticed about shopping in Japan:
Sizes may vary
Websites are terrible
Point cards are worth it
The trends heavily influence the availability
The area influences the style of brands and stores. I.E. Zara in Ginza has a different selection than Zara in Shibuya.
Foreign brands are overprices, so buy overseas when you are there.
Returns can sometimes be a pain as it is not as common as abroad
Shop staff usually aren’t very good at helping/suggesting. Popular = good according to them. A real professional will help you look for the style you want rather than just what is popular
Stocks are limited. Usually has to do with relatively small stores, resulting in less storage space.
There are so many more brands I can talk about, but the ones above have been my go-to’s lately. Tokyo has an infinite amount of brands, which I why I love this city so much: and endless amount of everything.
What are your go to brands?
